Month: December 2011

Updated December 29, 2011, 1:28 pm

On Dec. 30, 1972, the United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.

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On Dec. 30, 1873, Alfred Smith, the four-time governor of New York State and 1928 presidential candidate, was born. Following his death on Oct. 4, 1944, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1813	The British burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812.
1865	Author Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India.
1903	About 600 people died when fire broke out at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago.
1911	Sun Yat-sen was elected the first president of the Republic of China.
1928	Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates in McComb, Miss.
1940	California’s first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.
1972	The United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
1978	Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson University player during a game.
1993	Israel and the Vatican agreed to recognize one another.
2003	The federal government announced it would ban the sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
2006	Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was hanged.
2010	Top-ranked Connecticut’s record 90-game winning streak in women’s basketball ended with a 71-59 loss to No. 9 Stanford.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Miami Heat forward LeBron James turns 27 years old today.

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

TV host Meredith Vieira turns 58 years old today.

AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

1934	Joseph Bologna, Actor, turns 77
1934	Russ Tamblyn, Actor, turns 77
1935	Jack Riley, Actor (“The Bob Newhart Show”), turns 76
1935	Sandy Koufax, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 76
1937	Noel Paul Stookey, Folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary), turns 74
1940	James Burrows, TV director (“Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Will and Grace”), turns 71
1942	Michael Nesmith, Rock singer, musician (The Monkees), turns 69
1945	Davy Jones, Rock singer (The Monkees), turns 66
1946	Patti Smith, Rock musician, turns 65
1947	Jeff Lynne, Rock singer, musician (ELO), turns 64
1957	Matt Lauer, TV host (“Today”), turns 54
1959	Tracey Ullman, Actress, comedian, turns 52
1961	Sean Hannity, TV host, turns 50
1975	Tiger Woods, Golfer, turns 36
1977	Laila Ali, Boxer, TV personality, turns 34
1978	Tyrese Gibson, R&B singer, actor, turns 33
1980	Eliza Dushku, Actress, turns 31

 

Historic Birthdays

Alfred Smith 12/30/1873 – 10/4/1944 American politician and four-time governor of New York State. Go to obituary »

77	Bert Parks 12/30/1914 – 2/2/1992 American game show host
69	Sir Carol Reed 12/30/1906 – 4/25/1976 English film director
71	Alfred Einstein 12/30/1880 – 2/13/1952 German-born American musicologist and critic
70	Ramana Maharshi 12/30/1879 – 4/14/1950 Hindu philosopher and yogi
70	Rudyard Kipling 12/30/1865 – 1/18/1936 English writer
77	Asa Griggs Candler 12/30/1851 – 3/12/1929 American developer of Coca-Cola
62	John Milne 12/30/1850 – 7/30/1913 English seismologist and geologist; inventor of the seismograph

 

Updated December 28, 2011, 1:28 pm

 

On Dec. 29, On Dec. 29, 1940, during World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London.

On Dec. 29, 1808, Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States and the first American president to be impeached, was born. Following his death on July 31, 1875, his obituary appeared in The Times.

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1170	Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England.
1808	Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, was born in Raleigh, N.C.
1845	Texas was admitted to the union as the 28th state.
1851	The first American Young Men’s Christian Association was organized, in Boston.
1890	U.S. troops killed as many as 400 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, S.D.
1916	Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen.
1940	Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London during World War II.
1996	War-weary guerrilla and government leaders in Guatemala signed an accord ending 36 years of civil conflict.
1998	Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives.
1999	The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.
2007	The New England Patriots became the first NFL team in 35 years to finish the regular season undefeated when they beat the New York Giants 38-35 to go 16-0.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Patricia Clarkson turns 52 years old today.

AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

Actor Jon Voight turns 73 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

1932	Inga Swenson, Actress (“Benson”), turns 79
1934	Tom Jarriel, Broadcast journalist, turns 77
1936	Mary Tyler Moore, Actress, turns 75
1946	Marianne Faithfull, Rock singer, turns 65
1947	Ted Danson, Actor (“Cheers”), turns 64
1959	Paula Poundstone, Comedian, turns 52
1963	Sean Payton, Football coach, turns 48
1967	Andy Wachowski, Director (“Matrix” films), turns 44
1972	Jude Law, Actor, turns 39
1974	Mekhi Phifer, Actor (“ER”), turns 37
1979	Diego Luna, Actor, turns 32

 

Historic Birthdays

Andrew Johnson 12/29/1808 – 7/31/1875 17th President of the United States (1865-69). Go to obituary »

75	William Gaddis 12/29/1922 – 12/16/1998 American novelist
76	Klaus Fuchs 12/29/1911 – 1/28/1988 German-born American physicist and spy
86	Jess Willard 12/29/1881 – 12/15/1968 American prizefighter
56	William Mitchell 12/29/1879 – 2/19/1936 U.S. Army officer and early advocate of a separate air force
96	Pablo Casals 12/29/1876 – 10/22/1973 Spanish cellist and conductor
88	William Gladstone 12/29/1809 – 5/19/1898 English statesman and four-time prime minister (1868-74, 1880-85, 1886, 1892-94)
59	Charles Goodyear 12/29/1800 – 7/1/1860 American inventor; pioneered commercial use of rubber
76	Charles Macintosh 12/29/1766 – 7/25/1843 Scottish chemist and inventor
42	Jeanne-Antoinette Pompadour 12/29/1721 – 4/15/1764 French mistress of Louis XV